Saturday, May 14, 2011

Inlet Dance/CPT DanceWorkd '11

INLET DANCE THEATRE continues to prosper

Inlet Ballet is in the midst of its tenth season! The past has seen the company perform and educate, their two missions. The recent recipient of financial grants, a new phenomenon for the company, has put Bill Wade’s troupe on strong financial ground, and while other companies entrench due to the nation’s financial situation, Inlet looks to grow.

Their present program, part of Cleveland Public Theatre’s DanceWorks ’11, explores various aspects of human relationships while sharing repertory from their history. They also premiere WATER, the first movement of a four element series based on the personality types developed by Laurie Beth Jones, whose THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS has become a major thought force for Wade.

The evening includes WONDROUS BEASTS, a gymnastics-centered piece in which insect-like creatures, individually and collectively co-existence, serves as “metaphors for informing and inspiring choices for life journeys.” This is one of my favorite company selections.

DREAM OF SLEEP is based on sleep studies by Dr. Kingman Strohl. Bodies move in various sleep states from calm reflection through twitches and nightmarish uncontrolled body reactions to create a fascinating look at what humans do as they slumber.

WAR EFFORT EVES, which was created as a reaction to 911, showcases a USO performer, a Hollywood dancer/actress from the big musicals era and Rosie the Riveter. The performance, the evening’s weakest, lacked unity, intensity and dynamics.

OFFAXIS, an exploration of character, showcased Joshua Brown, one of the area’s finest dancers, as he found himself leaning outside the box of cultural norm. Flowing movements and powerful bodily control were highlights of this well-conceived offering.

MEMORITE highlighted the message, “Human life is valuable,” by focusing on the issues facing the elderly and their care-givers. Ryan Lott’s score, composed of verbal sound bites from interviews and the sounds of life, was a sounding board for looking at Parkinson’s, little old ladies in tennis shoes, pain and loss.

The only new piece on the program, WATER, is a pretty but uninspiring composition. Consisting of lifts, carries, and rolling (like waves), there was a lack of a focal center in the attempt to view the aqua personality type. Hopefully WATER is a work in progress and not a final product as it needs more development.

Capsule judgement: Inlet Dance’s Danceworks 11 program is an excellent introduction to their proficient skills.

Dr. Roy Berko

Roy Berko is a member of The Cleveland Critics Circle, The American Critics Association and Dance Critics Association. In 2013 he was selected as the Top Midwest Editor/Reviewer by BroadwayWorld.com. He is a college professor of communication, theatre and psychology, author of thirty-eight books, and a consultant. He is a certified Life Coach, Reiki practitioner, and a nationally certified Hypnotherapist. Roy has been granted Diplomate Status in the area of Professional Counseling by the International Academy of Behavioral Medicine, Counseling and Psychotherapy. He was elected to membership on the Elyria (Ohio) Board of Education and served as its President. He was selected by the Charles F. Brush High School (South Euclid-Lyndhurst, OH) Alumni Association to be inducted into the school's Wall of Achievement. His reviews and commentaries can be found on BroadwayWorld.com, CoolCleveland.com, posted on www.royberko.info, theatercriticism.com and mailed directly to a large list of subscribers via Mailchimp. To contact Roy email him at drberko@yahoo.com.

Join My Mailing List

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

City

State

PHILOSOPHY OF REVIEWING

Every reviewer has a philosophy that he or she carries into the entertainment venue. I perceive theatre and dance as educational tools. The creator has something to say. He or she conceives the work to represent that message. Since the arts represent the era from which they come, often the message centers on a reflection of the society at the time. Sometimes the conceiver wants to purely entertain, with no message for the audience to carry out of the performance. Whatever the goal, I think it is my obligation as a reviewer/critic to evaluate whether the writer or choreographer succeeded in developing a clear message.
From the standpoint of the production the major question is whether the director brought forth the intent and purpose of the creator of the manuscript or dance. Do the actors and/or dancers clearly develop their roles with proficiency? Do the technical aspects aid in creating the proper illusions?
I also feel it is my responsibility to explain such things as the background of the writer or dance creator, how the audience reacted during and after the performance, what other factors will help the reader understand the background of the material, and why I commented as I did.
One of the challenges of being a critic is realizing that no one likes to be negatively evaluated. Unfortunately, when one actively participates in a theatrical or dance performance activity, whether on-stage or backstage, her/his work becomes open to commentary. In doing that commentary, I try to be honest, explain why I reacted as I did, and stay open to the concept that reviewing, itself, is an art form, not a science.

HOW TO SEARCH THIS SITE

There are three ways to search this site:
LABELS - Under the VENUE, REVIEWS, REVIEWER REVIEWS section (in this column), click on any of the headings to retrieve all of the posts. (e.g. clicking 'Beck Center' will bring up all of the news/reviews about Beck Center.)
BLOG ARCHIVE - In this column, search for articles by date. If you see a triangle, click it to expand that section.
SEARCH - In the upper left corner of this site is a white search box. Type in your search criteria (i.e. an actor's name, the name of a show, etc.) and click the "SEARCH THIS BLOG" box next to the search box. The page will refresh with any articles that match your criteria.